Thursday, July 10, 2008

A Call for Help

In my personal opinion, a pullover is a nice thing to have a few of, but unless you only knit them out of fingering weight yarn or lighter, they tend to make you overheat fairly quickly unless you spend a lot of time outside in cold weather. If you are going back and forth, you can layer when you go outside, but when you come inside, you really don't need a heavier weight sweater. When you do wear a heavier weight pullover, there's not much you can do when you get hot, except take it off, and depending on what you've got on underneath the pullover, you might cause more trouble than you started with.

For this reason, I'm a huge fan of the cardigan. If you're cold, you can close it up and if you're warm, you can open it and let it hang open. If you really get hot, you can take the whole thing off since cardi's are typically worn with something underneath them - it's the ultimate climate control garment.

My call for help doesn't really have to do with the actual cardigans - fortunately or unfortunately, I have no trouble whatsoever finding cute cardi patterns to knit up. I need help finding stuff to put underneath the cardis. Now I have a favorite brand of camis, and I've got long sleeved T's (which I don't really wear much because I feel like the sleeves get fiddly under the cardis). I'm looking for short sleeved T's. I used to wear the Old Navy Perfect Fit Tee - it was a nice weight of fabric, soft, came in lots of colors and shaped just enough that I looked female (versus the look I get in Mickael's T- shirts) but not so tightly that that the world could see whether or not my bra had an underwire or not. Unfortunately, Old Navy has really had a steep decline in quality over the last few years, and while they still make this tee - the fabric they use is really thin and doesn't hold up well, so I'm not going to waste my money on it. So, what I'm looking for is a nice looking, slightly fitted, cotton or cotton/spandex tee that comes in a bunch of colors. If it has a slightly longer length, that's great because I wear my jeans below my belly button. Since I live in T's, I'm willing to make an investment here, so I'm not going to limit price on them, but I'm not paying $100 for a T shirt either - I need to overhaul my T shirt collection and I'd like to get a bunch of colors. If you know of a source for something like this, please leave a link in the comments. I'm probably not the only knitter who needs nice T's to throw under their cardis!

34 Comments:

I found that Sears has a nice T-shirt that's thick enough not to see your bra and soft enough to wear anytime. I do have some luck with Target though on basic shirts both long and short sleeves. Very soft and good prices.

I buy mine (and most of the rest of my clothes) at Banana Republic. Their t-shirts are soft and are usually you can't see through them like the Old navy ones you mentioned. I use their T's and tanks under cardis and they hold up in the wash.

I second Lands' End (great quality, great customer service, good prices), and I also have some very high quality T-shirts from hanna andersson (http://www.hannaandersson.com); they have primarily wonderful kids' clothes, but their women's clothes are awesome (and their T's are on sale right now for $20, and last forever).

I get my Ts from JJill, Eddie Bauer, or Target all wear nicely. JJill and Eddie Bauer have the nicer T-Tanks that I like to wear this time of year. Kind of an extender for my knitted cardis and short/no sleaved sweaters with the lower v-knecks.

I likewise live in tees, and have also given up on Old Navy. Here are my top three tee choices:Kohl's- lots of colors and styles (v necks, scoops, henleys whatever) and they are almost always on sale for $5-10. Gap- actually Gap Body might be better, but both make great tees. Body has some really nice ones that are thin and lightweight without being revealing at all. And they're super soft. American Apparel- They make really nice soft tees and about a million colors. I can't attest to the fit, as it's my hubby that has all the AA tees, but they are really soft and well made. :) best of luck!

Land's End offers a huge selection, wonderful service and reasonable prices. I have Land's End shirts I've worn for 10 years or more - and I wear this sort of thing a lot. Kohl's, IMO, have a much shorter life, but they are cheaper and I own many of those as well. I don't feel like they have had as nice a fit the last couple of seasons though.

I am envious of you who live in a climate where pullovers aren't necessary indoors! In our cold NJ winters (especially with heating costs rising) our house is always too cold, so pullovers are an essential part of the wardrobe. Sometimes with a shawl over it. For something else to wear underneath, take a look at WinterSilks for lovely silk turtlenecks, mock turtles, and even short sleeve shirts. They are light weight, washable (though I wouldn't put them in the dryer), and hold up beautifully. They come in several different weights. NAYY.

I live in Tees, too. I am of a larger size, so I got to Target and get men's sizes - it seems like men's are of better quality (and larger and cheaper) than the women's. You might try a small or medium men's for size and see if you like the feel.

Good luck - and tell that smart cat that I agree about hats - they do make cats look less smart than they are and I wouldn't make any of my cats wear one!

I'm a big fan of the Penney's A.N.A tees - I have way too many, and wear them under everything. There aren't so many colours (usually 4-6 a season), but they do change them up and they're usually on some manner of sale.

Please be aware of fit. I live in Maine, so I usually buy clothes from the LLBean outlet stores for very good quality and long wear. BUT I am also very busty. As the designers say, fit through the shoulders is critical. LLBean has great colors that change frequently, but they are very boxy. Lands End is shaped through the shoulders (full-fashioned) and has a range of fabric weights. I prefer them for fit. Purple is a neutral!

I recently got some from the Ann Taylor and Tommy Hilfiger outlet stores that are quite nice. I also have some Jones New York from a different outlet store. None of them were more than $15. Glad to know I'm not the only one who gave up on Old Navy.

I like the T's that Wal-mart sells. They are made by Just My Size and are comfortable and launder nicely ( well, occassionally, you might have to threaten one with an iron if it acts up ) and the color selction is nice. Besides the price is great - $6.00 each.I know some done like Wal-Mart but for this they're good.

If you go to Target to get your tees, look for the Cherokee brand. These are what I love to buy. They are stretchy, slightly fitted and thicker. (The Merona brand at Target feels too thin and cheap, IMO.) You can get them in basic colors as well as fashion colors. They are inexpensive, so perfect as chic Mommy wear. They are the only brand of t-shirt that I buy, and they look great under a cardi! :)